This spot takes us on two parallel tracks–moving back and forth between a man fishing off a dock in a lake, and another who’s piloting his amphibious aircraft.
While one fishes in a serene setting, the other loads his plane and flies over varied terrain before finally soaring above the lake. But the large metal Rimowa case he’s put aboard his plane is knocking against a loose door.
Meanwhile a bear gets scent of the fish caught by our intrepid fisherman. The bear approaches unbeknownst to the man.
Luckily the large case breaks through the plane door and bounces on the lake’s surface twice, bounding over the head of the fisherman and hitting the bear who’s just a few feet behind him. The bear is knocked into the lake, saving the fisherman from what would have been a most dangerous confrontation.
A parting product shot of the Rimowa sturdy metal container is accompanied by the slogan, “Every case tells a story.”
“Lake” was directed by Harry Patramanis via Production International, Hamburg, for agency Coffein Agentur fur arkekommunikation GmBH, Dusseldorf. (Patramanis’ stateside roost for commercials is Los Angeles-headquartered Form.)
Agency creative directors were Andreas Beckmann and Gunnar Eicker, with Martina Heckner serving as producer.
Producing for Production International were Reinhard Gedack and Sabine Schroder.
Does “Hundreds of Beavers” Reflect A New Path Forward In Cinema?
Hard as it may be to believe, changing the future of cinema was not on Mike Cheslik's mind when he was making "Hundreds of Beavers." Cheslik was in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with a crew of four, sometimes six, standing in snow and making his friend, Ryland Tews, fall down funny.
"When we were shooting, I kept thinking: It would be so stupid if this got mythologized," says Cheslik.
And yet, "Hundreds of Beavers" has accrued the stuff of, if not quite myth, then certainly lo-fi legend. Cheslik's film, made for just $150,000 and self-distributed in theaters, has managed to gnaw its way into a movie culture largely dominated by big-budget sequels.
"Hundreds of Beavers" is a wordless black-and-white bonanza of slapstick antics about a stranded 19th century applejack salesman (Tews) at war with a bevy of beavers, all of whom are played by actors in mascot costumes.
No one would call "Hundreds of Beavers" expensive looking, but it's far more inventive than much of what Hollywood produces. With some 1,500 effects shots Cheslik slaved over on his home computer, he crafted something like the human version of Donald Duck's snowball fight, and a low-budget heir to the waning tradition of Buster Keaton and "Naked Gun."
At a time when independent filmmaking is more challenged than ever, "Hundreds of Beavers" has, maybe, suggested a new path forward, albeit a particularly beaver-festooned path.
After no major distributor stepped forward, the filmmakers opted to launch the movie themselves, beginning with carnivalesque roadshow screenings. Since opening in January, "Hundreds of Beavers" has played in at least one theater every week of the year, though never more than 33 at once. (Blockbusters typically play in around 4,000 locations.)... Read More